


You're Just Too Good To Be True

by madamewriterofwrongs



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: (but in a fun way), First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gettign Together, Humor, Idiots in Love, Inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Love Confessions, M/M, Public Display of Affection, Public Humiliation, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25565266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamewriterofwrongs/pseuds/madamewriterofwrongs
Summary: Eddie was an idiot.An idiot in love with his best friend who had a ridiculous plan and half a prayer. An idiot who might have made a really big mistake.Luckily, his friends wanted to help him fix it.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 28
Kudos: 181





	You're Just Too Good To Be True

“For the record, I still think this is a bad idea” Hen said as she fiddled with the nobs of the stereo.

Eddie took a deep breath, chest heaving with anticipation. This was a horrible idea. This was stupid and idiotic and could very well get him fired.

Chimney clapped his friend on the back, a cheeky smile on his face. “I think it’s romantic, Diaz. Way to step up.” The firefighter groaned, trying to focus his attention on Hen’s progress. The sooner he did this, the sooner it would be over with and he’d get his answer. Hopefully. It might blow up in his face.

Like he said, this was a horrible idea.

All around them, the loft of the firehouse was quietly bustling. Many relaxing firefighters and paramedics had slowly lowered their game controllers and books in order to watch the trio at the railing. Eddie could feel a million eyes on the back of his head but it didn’t matter. This wasn’t for them. This was for Buck. If he liked it.

What if Buck didn’t like it? What if they could never speak to each other again? What if he was making a huge mistake? If Buck hated what Eddie had to say…

No sense in thinking about that, now. It would only make his heart beat faster.

He had half a mind to ask Chimney to make sure he wasn’t having a heart attack. The pounding behind his eyes was so intense, he could barely concentrate. Eddie took a few more (slightly exaggerated) deep breaths, puffing his cheeks, hoping it would help calm him down.

It did not.

“Alright, you’re all set up” Hen reluctantly told him. She gave him a long, scrutinizing look, at once hopeful and disappointed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

At that moment, Buck came around the corner underneath the loft, fresh uniform and damp, curly hair. He’d just come out of the shower. Great. He probably smelled nice, too.

Before his mind could wander too far down that garden path, Hen slapped cold metal into his hands, and he instinctively closed his fists around it.

“It’s now or never, lover boy.”

With one more, barely-calming breath, Eddie raised the microphone to his lips.

* * *

The last thing Eddie Diaz expected when he stepped out of his bathroom, was an amused Evan Buckley smirking knowingly from his bedroom door. His hand flew to the towel hung low around his waist to make sure it was securely fastened and not to draw Buck’s eye to the v of his hips that he knew was there. He was proud of his body, so sue him. He was also proud of Buck’s body. The man was like a brick wall of muscle but also gave the softest hugs – the true dichotomy of man – and those thighs. Eddie looked down at the object of his musings but shot back up to Buck’s face when he realized how dangerously close he was to something else he’d occasionally contemplated.

“I didn’t know you sang.” Buck, having not been privy to Eddie’s internal, horny struggle, pulled him back to reality with that smug little smile of his. Eddie just wanted to kiss it off of him.

_Get it together, body!_

What was he talking about? Oh right, something about singing? He was meant to be alone in the house (Christopher was at school for many more hours and he had a blessed day off). No one was meant to hear his off-key belting of whatever song was stuck in his head. He was supposed to be safe. He should have known he was never safe from Buck.

Eddie schooled his features and breezed past his friend on his way to the wardrobe. “I don’t sing.”

“Was there someone else in the shower with you, then?” The world stopped, Eddie frozen in place with his underwear in one hand and his other still firmly on the towel. That little joke of Buck’s would be harmless and maybe even a little funny – if his mind hadn’t already been wandering towards a potential shower-mate currently in the room with him.

“Not that I noticed.” He threw some clothes on the bed, not able to get changed just yet, but maybe if he got everything ready, Buck would take the hint and give him some privacy.

Buck walked right into his bedroom and leaned against the dresser beside him. He was way too close for half-naked Eddie to process anything properly. Why did he have to do that? Actually, that was a good question.

“What are you doing here?” They hadn’t had plans to hang out today (he’d wanted to, but Buck had promised to go baby shopping with Maddie – demanded it, actually). When it came to baby excitement, Chimney and Buck were possibly tied for second place. It was one of the things Eddie lo-liked about Buck the most. That big, ole golden heart.

“Maddie wasn’t feeling well so she’s spending some time with Chim.” Buck crossed his arms over his broad, toned chest ( _keep it in your pants, Diaz)_ , and shrugged. “I got sent home, so I figured we could go check out that rock climbing place you mentioned.”

Breezing right past the part when Buck called Eddie’s place ‘home’, the former medic nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Yeah, that’s sounds great. Just let me get changed.”

If he wasn’t going to take the hint, it was time for the direct approach. The sooner Buck was out of his room, the sooner he could breathe again.

Except, Buck didn’t move – at least not the way Eddie expected him to. The man, colloquially referred to by their friends as the human embodiment for a golden retriever, tilted his head in contemplation in a way that made Eddie understand what they’d been talking about.

Except dogs didn’t smile brighter than the sun, and subtly pass him tissues when they were watching a sad Disney movie. Dogs definitely didn’t look at Eddie in a way that made him swallow the lump in his throat.

“You don’t have to” Buck whispered. Or maybe Eddie had imagined it. That made more sense than Buck saying…that.

 _You don’t have to get changed_.

What the hell.

“Uhh…” his brain could only muster an old dial tone as he waited for an appropriate response from either one of them.

Buck opened his mouth and Eddie breathed with him, unnamed anticipation on his mind.

“I’ll just be outside.”

Good. Great. That’s what Eddie wanted. Why was he so disappointed, then? As he contemplated his own conflicted existence, Buck stopped in the doorway and made a half turn over his shoulder to face him.

“You should sing more. I like your voice.”

And then Buck was gone and Eddie was…

So, royally, screwed.

* * *

Roping Hen and Chimney into his plan hadn’t been as difficult as he’d first imagined. Sure, they had their reservations (Hen told him in no uncertain terms that if he got in trouble, she was going to bail on him – he still wasn’t sure if he believed her). Chimney had been on board the moment he’d said the words ‘Sing’ and ‘Buck’ in the same sentence.

Even if he hadn’t confessed what had happened and why he wanted to do this, everyone had noticed the two of them moping around and avoiding each other the past few days.

Buck was mad – hurt, more like, but it presented as avoidance and silence which felt pretty angry to Eddie. Well, and Eddie was…

Eddie was an idiot.

An idiot in love with his best friend who had a ridiculous plan and half a prayer. An idiot who might have made a really big mistake.

Luckily, his friends wanted to help him fix it.

* * *

Eddie knew he found Buck attractive from the day he’d confronted him in the gym about his unwarranted cold-shouldering.

He knew he could trust Buck from the moment he put his absolute faith in a total stranger and helped him pull a grenade out of a man’s thigh.

He knew Buck was smart when he rigged a backboard to slide down an elevator shaft in a collapsing building.

He saw how sincere Buck was when he introduced him to Christopher, and the man never talked down to the seven-year-old who rambled at him for an entire car ride.

He saw how kind Buck was the day he introduced him to Carla and set him down a better path.

He knew Buck was brave when he faced down a gunwoman by talking about his feelings (and it worked).

He knew Buck was compassionate when he sat beside him in ‘hospital jail’ and saw the desperation in his eyes when it came to protecting his sister.

He knew he cared about Buck when a ladder truck landed on his leg and he didn’t sit down until he heard Buck was out of surgery.

He knew Buck cared about him when he showed up in a full leg cast just to see Eddie graduate from the fire academy.

He knew all of these things – could pinpoint most of them on a calendar if pressed – but there was no concrete date for when Eddie realized he was in love with Buck.

There hadn’t been a big ‘aha’ moment, more of a slow realization when the words scrolled across his brain and he didn’t question them.

The real trouble came when he tried to figure out what to do with those feelings.

There was the Direct Approach; he could just come out and say it and hope that Buck didn’t laugh in his face (he knew Buck would never do that but even a sincere rejection might feel like it).

There was the Ignoring Approach; where he just ignored his feelings and hoped they went away on their own or he grabbed Christopher and moved across the country to avoid him (again, not a likely outcome given how attached his best friend and son were).

There was the Waiting Approach; stick around long enough and Buck was bound to make the first move, right? He just hoped it wasn’t too late by the time Buck realized that it was his turn.

There was the Flirting Approach; don’t say it directly but make his intentions known and hope that Buck takes the hint (and likes it).

There was a lot of hoping involved – something Eddie had grown accustomed to over the years.

He just hoped that ‘hope’ was enough; because after all that, he still didn’t have a plan.

The Waiting Approach, it was.

The problem with waiting, was that Eddie spent an inordinate amount of time with Buck. 50 to 60 hours at the station and then at least 15 or 20 more outside of work, meant that he couldn’t exactly get away from the man he wanted by his side forever.

_Oh. No. That was a dangerous line of thinking. Forever._

Point was, he couldn’t avoid Buck, but the more time they spent together, the more he felt his resolve slipping.

One of these days, he was either going to kiss him or run screaming for the hills.

Possibly both.

* * *

As he brought the microphone to his lips, he heard a terrible ‘shushing noise’ as the diaphragm picked up the sound of his breathing. So, Chimney’s old cordless karaoke microphone wasn’t the best quality. It would have to do the trick. Except now, everyone had heard his voice through the speaker Hen had linked up, and everyone who was pretending to be eavesdropping had dropped all pretenses and was watching Eddie expectantly.

Did they know what he was about to do – how he was about to humiliate himself? Did he?

One more, blaringly loud inhale, and Eddie opened his mouth.

* * *

They had been drinking – of course they had (because all bad decisions were made on a rare night off that involved too much alcohol) – and some time during the night, they’d starting sitting too close to each other on Eddie’s couch. The basketball game was on but neither of them were watching, more than happy to just sit and talk to each other. As friends did.

Friends curled up on the couch and talked for hours about deeply personal things because a disgusting combination of beer and whiskey had loosened their tongues, right?

Okay, that’s exactly what friends did. But this was different because Buck was different. Buck had always been different.

Was he this sappy when he was sober?

God, he could stare into Buck’s eyes forever. Like a sea in a storm. Cloudy blue and always dancing. And wide. So wide and expressive. If he tried really hard, he could have a whole conversation with just Buck’s eyes. Was that what was happening right now? They weren’t talking anymore. And those big blue eyes were saying a lot.

If he leaned forward now – just a few inches – he could be kissing Buck. Wasn’t that a novel idea? Just kiss Buck. Just kiss him. Put his lips on Buck’s bright red, kissable, lips and do the thing he’d been wanting to do forever.

No, he couldn’t. He was drunk. Buck had been matching him for drinks all night so he was definitely also smashed. Neither of them was thinking clearly and he wouldn’t take advantage of his friend like that for one (undoubtedly mind-blowing) kiss. If he ever did get to touch Buck the way he’d been fantasizing about with increasing ferocity, they would both be sober and willing.

Buck hadn’t gotten the memo.

Eddie found himself pinned against the arm of the couch, Buck’s body ensnaring him as his lips took control of his brain. He felt cold fingers drift underneath his shirt and he laughed into his partner’s mouth but didn’t stop him. The icy touch against his warm skin was the perfect balm. And those thighs. They were rolling just enough against his leg, trapping him deliciously where he’d been secretly wanting to be captured forever. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the fantasies, but this was the best kiss ever. Sloppy and uncoordinated and smelling lightly of dry whiskey and grass (for some reason; what was going on with his brain tonight?). But it was perfect – completely, and utterly perfect – because it was Buck.

It was Buck.

No.

As gently as his brain could muster (that was to say, he nearly shoved him off the couch) Eddie pushed Buck away. The man landed on the other couch arm, staring wide-eyed and flustered. His lips were so much prettier when they were wet and plump and newly kissed. He wanted to do it again.

“I can’t kiss you” he declared too loudly for his own ears. He couldn’t kiss Buck because if he kissed him now, he’d never be able to stop. If he started something now, he’d never be able to let go. But he’d also never know if it was real or a really bad decision. That made sense, right? That was clear? They needed to wait.

Buck went from stunned to confused, bordering on upset. “You can’t or you won’t?”

What kind of question was that? Both? Neither? Some unholy combination of can’t, won’t and shan’t? What he stuttered out was “I don’t know” while his eyes never left the object of his affection.

He was waiting, watching, _hoping_ that Buck would accept his answer until they were both sober enough to think clearly. Right now, that was not the case. He was going to throw up.

“I thought” Buck stopped mid-confession and for a breathless moment, he thought his waiting was over. There was something in his eyes – something bright and shining, like a new penny. Hope. There was hope in those stormy blue eyes that Eddie could gaze into forever. Maybe the Waiting Approach had worked.

He was wrong. Horribly, devastatingly wrong. “Never mind.”

Why was Buck standing? Why was he walking away? Why was he grabbing his shoes?

Work, mouth!

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to sleep in my car until I’m sober enough to drive.”

No. Buck was grabbing his coat and keys and moving towards the door. He was leaving. Why was he leaving? He was leaving because of Eddie. He didn’t want that.

“You don’t have to leave.”

Buck stopped in the doorway to look at Eddie and his heart dropped down to his stomach. They were both a little more sober now. And it made the hurt hit harder.

“I really think I should.”

Then Buck was gone. And Eddie was…

Yeah, he was an idiot.

What the hell was wrong with him? He slumped back against the couch, no longer able to support his own weight under the press of his own, idiotic actions. He had spent months (Years? Decades? No, he hadn’t known him for decades but maybe that didn’t matter) dreaming about kissing Buck, and hoping he would make the first move so Eddie could avoid potentially getting his heart broken.

That had just happened!

Buck was kissing him; Buck had made the first move. And then he’d broken Buck’s heart.

Not for long.

He had to do something to make it up to him. Something that showed him he was serious. Put himself out there the way Buck had.

Oh no.

He had a horrible idea.

* * *

Buck didn’t turn around right away, and that made Eddie all the more nervous.

His fears grew hot and heavy in his stomach, but his resolve never wavered. He had to do this. It was the stupidest thing he’d ever done. But he had to do it.

_“You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off of you.”_

Slowly, Buck turned on his heel and lifted his chin to look at Eddie, stunned and blushing red.

_“You’d be like heaven to touch. I want to hold you so much.”_

He looked at everyone but Eddie, taking in the silence of the firehall except for those echoey words blasting through an outdated speaker.

_“At long last, love has arrived. And I thank god I’m alive.”_

Buck finally returned his open-mouthed stare to Eddie and froze.

“ _You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off of you._ ”

And wasn’t that the damn truth. He could stare into those eyes forever. Those eyes he could have a conversation with; that were so expressive even if Buck kept his secrets silent. His grip on the microphone only tightened when Chimney enthusiastically hit ‘play’ on the track, releasing a chorus of gentle horns into the firehall.

Here goes nothing.

_“Pardon the way that I stare. There's nothin' else to compare._

_The sight of you leaves me weak. There are no words left to speak.”_

With each phrase, Eddie sent every note to the one person he needed to hear it most. He really needed Buck to hear him. Please, hear him.

_“But if you feel like I feel. Please let me know that it's real.”_

Subtlety was overrated these days. Staring into the eyes of the man you love and asking him if he loves you back through a song you memorized with your bedroom door closed so your son doesn’t here you.

That was all the rage.

_“You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you.”_

As the beat picked up its base, and the trumpets came blasting through the speakers, Eddie began to move to the beat, all sharp hips and barely rhythmic sways. Behind him, he could hear more than a few snickers but he kept his eyes right on Buck. Only Buck.

He was still planted in the spot where Eddie had begun his song, but his shock had melted into, what was hopefully, amused disbelief (and not the disgusted kind of disbelief that meant he’d done all of this for nothing). No, not nothing. Even if Buck never spoke to him again, it would be worth it to tell him that he wasn’t alone.

How long was this dance break?

Finally, the lyrics returned and he made his way towards the stairs.

_“I love you, baby_

_And if it's quite alright_

_I need you, baby_

_To warm the lonely night_

_I love you, baby_

_Trust in me when I say”_

Co-ordinating his steps with the timing of the music was a challenge he barely accomplished but he made it, free hand holding the railing as if it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing.

It probably was, for how dizzy he felt.

All the way down, Buck tracked his movements, expression unchanging, but chest heaving in time with Eddie’s beating heart.

_“Oh, pretty baby_

_Don't bring me down, I pray_

_Oh, pretty baby_

_Now that I've found you, stay_

_And let me love you, baby_

_Let me love you”_

His hands were shaking as he attempted to release his death grip from the railing. He’d need to let go in order to walk across the floor. It still took several steps before he could finally free his fingers. Just a few more steps and he’d be standing close enough to be slapped or kissed. Or maybe he’d just walk away and leave Eddie as humiliated as he must have felt.

God, he’d been such an idiot to let him go.

_“You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you.”_

Three more steps.

_“You'd be like Heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much.”_

Two more steps. He may have slowed his pace a little but he kept on his path.

_“At long last, love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive.”_

One more step and he was in front of Buck, a pleading look in his eyes.

_“You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you.”_

The trumpets sounded again and Eddie swallowed, no saliva left to ease his nerves. Here was the tricky part (as if everything else up until now had been a cakewalk). The Waiting Approach. The staring into his eyes and hoping he forgave him and still wanted him back. The holding his breath while the music filled the otherwise silent firehall.

Buck gripped his neck and pulled him in for a long, slow kiss. Oh, thank god. Eddie collapsed into his touch.

This one was perfect, no alcohol or fantasies required. His free hand tucked under Buck’s arm and pulled him tight against his chest. God, he tasted even better this time – of course he would. Clean and fresh with a little hint of the protein smoothie he’d had for breakfast; the sweet taste made all the better for knowing that they were finally on the same page. He inhaled the scent of citrus and musk and internally shook his head. Damnit, he did smell good.

When he finally pulled back, forehead resting against his so he could catch his breath (between the singing, and the nerves, and the mind-blowing kiss, air was a problem), Eddie realized he missed his cue to come back in. By quite a bit.

He dove in for another, shorter kiss.

As the music faded away, the sounds of cheering and wolf whistles broke through his clouded mind and a happy, relieved laugh bubbled over from both of them.

Eddie didn’t really remember much about the time he’d been dosed with LSD other than a feeling of weightlessness and contentment – like nothing in the world could touch him (right up until a pair of handcuffs dragged him down to earth where everything was heavy and trapped).

The moment before the fall was the closest Eddie could get to describing the giddy feeling in his chest.

Buck’s eyes reflected the same relief and joy he felt.

Eddie couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re gonna get in so much trouble” Buck whispered for just the two of them, despite the dozens of eyes still watching their every move.

“Technically, I still have five more minutes on my labor-mandated break.” That was the excuse he would tell Bobby or anyone else who questioned his actions. Somehow ‘love sick idiocy’ didn’t have the same pull.

“Good.” Buck was smiling at him and nothing else mattered. “Because you and I have some unfinished business.”

Eddie let himself be led back up the stairs, passing the microphone back to Chimney who patted him on the back, keeping a firm grip on Buck’s hand at all times. They ignored the continuing jeers and slaps on the shoulder as they made their way towards the bunks to talk (just to talk. And maybe kiss a little, but nothing else. They were at work after all, and it would be unprofessional to do something so outlandish at work). All the while, Eddie held on tight to Buck’s hand.

He had been absolutely right about that: now that he had him, he was never letting go.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this was written for fun and giggles so I hope you had at least one of the two.
> 
> Song is "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" by Frankie Valli
> 
> Scene inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You
> 
> Check out my tumblr [madamewriterofwrongs](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/madamewriterofwrongs/blog/madamewriterofwrongs)


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